CPC Crisis Communication & Management 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which crisis communication model emphasizes that organizations must take responsibility quickly and communicate openly to maintain public trust?
- Contingency Theory
- Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT) (Correct answer)
- Excellence Theory
- Agenda-Setting Theory
Correct answer: Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT)
SCCT, developed by W. Timothy Coombs, links crisis responsibility levels to appropriate response strategies to protect organizational reputation.
Question 2: During a product recall crisis, a company issues a statement fully accepting blame and offering compensation. This response strategy is called:
- Deny
- Diminish
- Rebuild (Correct answer)
- Bolstering
Correct answer: Rebuild
Rebuild strategies, including apology and compensation, are used when an organization accepts high responsibility for a crisis.
Question 3: A crisis communication team's first priority in the immediate aftermath of a crisis should be:
- Scheduling a press conference
- Ensuring employee and public safety (Correct answer)
- Drafting a social media post
- Contacting legal counsel only
Correct answer: Ensuring employee and public safety
Life safety is the foremost priority in any crisis response before communications strategy is executed.
Question 4: The 'dark site' strategy in crisis communication refers to:
- Blocking negative media coverage online
- A pre-built website activated only during a crisis (Correct answer)
- Deleting social media accounts during controversy
- Redirecting web traffic to a competitor
Correct answer: A pre-built website activated only during a crisis
A dark site is a pre-prepared web page kept offline that can be quickly activated to provide crisis information to the public.
Question 5: Which factor most commonly causes a crisis to escalate unnecessarily?
- Issuing too many press releases
- Delayed or inadequate initial response (Correct answer)
- Over-communicating with employees
- Providing too many facts to journalists
Correct answer: Delayed or inadequate initial response
Slow or inadequate early responses allow misinformation to spread and erode public trust, worsening the crisis.
Question 6: What is the primary purpose of a crisis communication audit conducted before a crisis occurs?
- To train spokespeople on interview techniques
- To identify vulnerabilities and communication gaps in advance (Correct answer)
- To draft legal disclaimers for future statements
- To measure current media sentiment
Correct answer: To identify vulnerabilities and communication gaps in advance
A pre-crisis audit identifies weaknesses in communication systems, processes, and messaging so they can be addressed proactively.
Question 7: In crisis communication, 'bridging' is a technique used to:
- Connect two separate press releases
- Transition from a difficult question to a key message (Correct answer)
- Link social media accounts across platforms
- Coordinate messaging between two organizations
Correct answer: Transition from a difficult question to a key message
Bridging is a media training technique where a spokesperson acknowledges a question then pivots to deliver a key organizational message.
CPC Crisis Communication & Management 2
Which crisis communication model emphasizes that organizations must take responsibility quickly and communicate openly to maintain public trust?